Zigzoo's Youth-o-scope (Tree Fu Tom)
by Zigela-4-eva
Summary: One of my very earliest works from deviantart - written as a Tree Fu Tom episode - my other fics will be far more dramatic


Zigzoo, Tom, Twigs, Squirmtum, Ariela, Stink, Puffy Treetog (C) Tree fu Tom

Ms. Clara (c) my sister

 _One of my oldest stories back from Deviantart ~ I know it's not especially great, but I think it's a starter of recognition ~ my page WILL get better_

-

5 figures stood round a small machine in a boathouse. This boathouse belonged to Zigzoo, a small green tree frog and official inventor of treetopilis. The others in the room where:  
Tom, an 11-year-old boy who frequently saved treetopilis from peril when trouble came about. His best friend Twigs, a 9 year old tree sprite, who was sometimes the cause of trouble. Squirmtum the woodlouse, a good friend of Zigzoo's. Squirmtum was the main sap collector. (Sap was very useful as it kept the magic for treetopilis, as well as a casting crystal located in tree togs tower) And Ariela, a ranch hand butterfly with a bit of a short temper when she wanted her way (which unfortunately was often)  
Every single one of these where gathered around Zigzoo's latest invention, which he had called a 'youth-o-scope'

"What exactly does it do?" Tom asked, peering at the machine in a curious way.

"Good question Tom!" Zigzoo smiled " My 'youth-o-scope' is designed, as the name suggests to youth things, watch this" A familiar mechanical hand on a crane sprouted out of his backpack, holding a 1 pence coin.

"I simply take this coin" He set the coin on a table "This coin is 20 years old, 6 years younger than me" He added. If my machine is correct, it should decrease 10 years and become only 10 years old!"

The others looked at each other with expressions that were half amusement, half anxiety as Zigzoo started the machine. A fast jet of silver mist shot out of the machine and hit the coin. As the two came into contact, there was a bright white light and then everything was back to normal, apart from the 5 dazed figures in the room. One he had gotten over the bright light, Zigzoo went and picked up the coin. When he looked at it, his face became a bemused expression.

"That didn't work … but look what happened!" When he showed the others you could see it looked pretty much the same … but there where 1's.

"An 11 pence coin?" Twigs laughed "never seen on of those before!"

"It's one of a kind" Ariela chuckled.

"Indeed, but not what I wanted" Zigzoo admitted "I think it may need a few modifications" After a while, he came back in. The 'youth-o-scope' now had a dial that went up in 5's to 25.

"Just in case I detract too many years," He said quickly, to cover up some questioning looks. "Right, lets try again" he smiled, turning the dial to 15. This time, a slow mist whirled out of the 'youth-o-scope' and surrounded the 11 pence coin. After a while the bright light came again, but it was duller and less blinding. Sure enough, the 11 pence coin was now 15 years younger, it had lost allot of rust and dirt, and although not brand new, it was allot smoother.

'Wow Zigzoo, it works!" Squirmtum gaped in awe, taking off his helmet to scratch his head. The others stared at the 'youth-o-scope' in surprise. Twigs, however was looking out of the window towards the park.  
"That's great and all … but do you think we could have a game of squizzle now?" He asked.

The others laughed.

"Why not?" Tom smiled "come on everybody!" The gang went off, chatting together as they walked.

Once they were gone, two figures popped in at the window. One was short and one was tall. The short one was Stink one of the naughty mushas and the other was his sister, Puffy, a spiteful female musha with bags of ego. Once they were in the wagon, they began looking around for mischief.

"Look at this Stink!" Puffy called eagerly "it's a …'youth-o-scope'?"

"What do you think that means?" He asked

"Mischief" Puffy's dark brown eyes glinted mischievously. "I reckon – " Her words were cut short by the sound of footsteps approaching, they two jumped back out the window and waited. Squirmtum came back in, looked around and picked up his helmet and put it back on his head. As Puffy leant upwards, she accidentally hit the button, and the 'youth-o-scope' hit Squirmtum. When the flash of white light vanished, Squirmtum was no longer there. There was a small white thing on the floor. It looked just like a woodlouse, but much smaller, and a very pale white. He was a baby. Stink and Puffy were rolling about laughing.

"So that's what it does!" Stink cackled "Who shall we get next?"

"How about … ?"

"Eh? Why her?"

"Without her, the insects won't have anyone to teach them!"

"What about the TA?"

"We'll get her too!"

waved the last of her students away dismissively. There were other things on her mind. It was nearing the half term … all the extra work. She groaned and placed her head on the table she was working on. She frowned at the homework she was marking, but the words seemed to squiggle about on the page. She was tired and the TA Linda, a centipede obsessed with the Spanish, was off ill.

leaned back in her chair and looked outside. The sun shone high in the sky, its warmth shining through the window. smiled. She got up and opened the window, breathing in the warm leafy smell from outside. Around this time Stink and  
Puffy had arrived with Zigzoo's 'Youth-o-scope' and were looking for the perfect opportunity to use it. sat back down and continued to work, she was so distracted she didn't notice the two shadowy figures by the window, holding the 'youth-o-scope' and aiming it at the lady bird. The silvery light shot out and in a few seconds there was a small black and orange creature on the floor, unlike a ladybird. Even Stink and Puffy were surprised.

"Oh well, come on, more mischief to be made" Puffy said quickly and the two ran off.

Meanwhile Twigs was heading back towards Zigzoo's boat in search of Squirmtum. He collided with the two mushas. He noticed the 'youth-o-scope' in their hands

"Hey! Give that back!" Puffy yelled as Twigs grabbed the machine and tried to pull it out of their hands. Puffy hit the button on instant and in another flash there was a small baby on the floor.

"Right, I know who to get next" Puffy grinned evilly. Her brother gave her a confused look.

"Who?"

"That show off madam butterfly of course"

"Oh!"

"And with her out the way her critters on the ranch will run wild!"  
The siblings cackled and ran towards Ariela's ranch.

"I wonder where he could have got to?"

"Perhaps he went this way?"

"Oh were are they?"

Tom was the first to round the corner and see the baby sprite. Ariela was next, followed by Zigzoo. Tom picked up the baby cautiously as if scared of it.

"Could this be … could this be Twigs?" He frowned.

"But how?" Ariela asked uncertainty.

"Oh dear" Zigzoo had come out of his boathouse carrying the pale baby woodlouse.

"My 'youth-o-scope' is missing"

Tom looked at his holopax.

"Holopax can you show us who's got Zigzoo's 'youth-o-scope' please?"

The machine showed an image of the Mushas carrying the machine, but gave no clue about where they were.

"We need to find them!"

"Where were they last?'

The holopax showed an image of the insect school.

"Do you think …"?

"We should check …"

" !" The three gasped in unison. Their fears were correct. They found the grub crawling around on the floor and rolling under desks when they arrived.

"We have to stop the mushas" Tom said determinedly, fighting with baby Twigs. "I'll find someone to take care of Twigs and see if Treetog has any ideas. You two take these two" He gestured towards Squirmtum and .

"I'll take care of them in my ranch until we get your 'youth-o-scope' back Zigzoo." Ariela nodded as she picked up the baby ladybird. "Come on, I'll get a spare pen" she started flying towards the ranch, in her arms and Zigzoo following behind her.  
When they got to the ranch Ariela put the two grubs into a spare pen

"I reckon their hungry" Ariela observed, "I'll get some hay" She turned around

"Keep an eye on them Zigzoo!" She called behind her. So he did. Zigzoo waited … and waited … and waited. Eventually he got up and went out to see where Ariela was. A dreadful sight awaited him. Ariela's hat was on the ground and it was moving. He lifted it up and stared in surprise at the sight. A small … what was it? It looked like a flat inchworm. The long grub was mostly green with several black rings, which were dotted with red and white spots. It also had a line of black tufts of fur on it's back and a yellow underside with white tufts. Zigzoo had never seen anything stranger. Before he had time to think, a wooden crate was slammed over the creature and a rope dragged it into the bushes, Ariela protesting inside. Zigzoo saw a red and white cap and then it was gone … and so was the baby Ariela.  
Zigzoo felt like throwing himself down on the ground in despair. She was gone. Ariela … Zigzoo blinked back some tears. The sooner he acted, the sooner they could rescue her. He remembered how Ariela wasn't always modest but … she was always honest. She had saved him before when a grumble berry had become stuck in the sap tubes. She had also encouraged him to invent again after his one of his inventions failed epically. She was always there for her friends no matter what the crisis. Why had he let her be kidnapped?

"Have you found anything yet?" Tom asked nervously over the cover of the spell book he was reading.

"Not yet" Treetog replied. Treetog was the current leader of treetopilis. "Ah! There is something" She looked at the book.

"But it's a potion … we wouldn't be able to make enough in time"

"I've got an idea" Tom went to the door.

"Be careful" Treetog warned him.

"I will."  
It was all in vain. No sooner was he halfway down the streets, than a familiar flash happened and there was another baby on the floor. The sprites around started to panic; their usual hero was babyfied and the musha's were coming back down the streets, firing the 'youth-o-scope' rays in different directions. Meanwhile, Zigzoo had made it to the castle with a new machine.

"If we use the aging potion in my machine it'll last longer and be more efficient!" Zigzoo persuaded Treetog to make a glass full of the potion, which he then poured into his new machine, the 'age-I-fier'

"Let's hope this works" He took his machine and ran into the streets … just as Puffy and Stink came into Treetog's room with the 'youth-o-scope'. The age restored Tom and Twigs flew besides Zigzoo as he ran towards Ariela's ranch to get Squirmtum and back to normal. They were just in time, as Squirmtum had managed to unlock the pen and the two were devouring the left over stock of critter food. Once the two were back to normal Zigzoo told them all about what had happened to Ariela.

"We have to save her" Tom leaped into the air "Let's split up and search" Zigzoo was the one who took his 'age-I-fier', which was lucky he was the one who found Ariela. Puffy and Stink were patrolling around her cage. He had to think fast. Aha! He aimed the 'age-I-fier' at the two mushas and watched, as they become two very old toadstools. Stink had grown a very long white beard and Puffy had many wrinkles on her face. The two hobbled of in direction of the beam vowing to:

"Really get the treeling that did that"  
Meanwhile Zigzoo slipped the opposite way, unlocked Ariela's cage and restored her to her usual age.

"Yee-haa! That's much better" She smiled. Then she picked Zigzoo up and gave him a hug. He blushed slightly as she put him down but didn't say anything.

"We'll restore the musha's age … as long as they get a fair punishment … do you agree?"  
Ariela nodded.

"Come on then! There are still a few more people to restore"  
After every on in tree topilis had been restored (including Treetog) the town held a celebration for Zigzoo.

"Way to go Zigzoo" Squirmtum congratulated him "I uh … could have stopped them if I wasn't babyfied though"

The others laughed.

"I think I'll put my 'youth-o-scope' and my 'age-I-fier' in storage for now though, we wouldn't want any old problems" Zigzoo set the two machines on the water fountain. The others laughed at his joke.

"Actually, I don't want to appear rude Ariela … but if you don't mind me asking what creature where you as a baby?"

Ariela chuckled.

"I was a caterpillar. All butterfly's are as baby's"

"Oh" Zigzoo leant against something. There was a flash of light and a small black creature with a surprised expression was swimming around the water fountain.

"Where's Zigzoo gone?" Twigs asked looking at the squiggly black creature.

"Have you seen our friend?" The others erupted into more laughter.

"He's turned himself into a tadpole" explained.

"I knew that" Twigs boasted.

"We better get him back to normal" Treetog laughed as she and Ariela set the 'age-I-fier' up for the last time.

"I'd love to stay and help but I've got to go now! Bye everyone!" Tom waved to his friends as Ariela pressed the button and the 'age-I-fier' sent out its beam and suddenly the black creature became Zigzoo again. He saw his friend's wave and then he was heading home to dinner.


End file.
